Carton with slidable, concealed handle



June 28, 1966 H. T. CAMERON CARTON WITH SLIDABLE CONGEALED HANDLE 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed June 19, 1964 1 INVENTOR \O HUGH T. CAMERON BVZM ATfORNEZ June 28, 1966 H. T. CAMERON CARTON WITH SLIDABLE, CONCEALED HANDLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 19, 1964 FIG. 3

INVENTOR HUGH T. CAMERON Ew mzw United States Patent 3,258,152 CARTON WITH SLIDABLE, CON CEALED HANDLE Hugh T. Cameron, St. Bruno, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Bathurst Power & Paper Company Limited, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Filed June 19, 1964, Ser. No. 376,418 3 Claims. (Cl. 220-105) This invention relates to a partitioned container made from paperboard, including boxboard and other similar containerboards.

Vast quantities of containers made from paperboards are used annually for shipping bottled and canned beverages and the like. The constructions employed are legion but it is usually a prime object of a manufacturer to achieve a strong container with a minimum amount of paperboards that can be efficiently used in modern packaging methods. The present invention is thought to be novel and is remarkable in the extent to which it achieves these sought after objects.

Generally speaking, a container according to the present invention is, with the exception of the handle, formed from a single blank of paperboard. It has a longitudinally extending divider that is hinged to one of two bottom panels. The handle is carried by the divider and is slidable with respect thereto to appear and disappear through an opening in the top wall. The invention will be clearly understood after reference to the following detailed specification read in conjunction with the drawings.

In the drawings,

FIGURE 1 is a view showing the blank from which the body of the container according to this invention is made, and the blank of a handle therefor.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective illustration of a container according to this invention open at one end.

FIGURE 3 is a view along the line 33 of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 4 is an illustration showing the manner in which the handle is carried by the divider.

In the drawings, the numeral generally indicates a blank of corrugated paperboard according to this invention from which a container is formed. It has score lines and openings that permit it to be assembled into the end-opening, handle type carton illustrated in FIG- URE 2. In the specification, similar numerals will be used to designate the panels in the blank and in the assembled container.

The blank 10 comprises a top wall panel 12, a first side wall panel 14, a second side wall panel 16, a first bottom wall panel 18, a second bottom wall panel 20, a divider member 22, a bottom securing member 24, a handle retaining flap 26, two divider retaining flaps 28 and 30 and end wall closure flaps 32, 34, 36, 38, 40*, 42, 44, 46, 48 and 50.

The numeral 52 generally refers to a handle member that is carried by the divider member as will be referred to later in more detail.

To assemble the blank and handle member, shown in FIGURE 1, into the container illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3, one first mounts the handle member 52 with respect to the divider member 22. This is done folding the marginal edge portion 26 of the divider member 22 about itself along the scored fold line 27. A longitudinally extending slot 29 is formed in the divider member 22 to freely admit the gripping portion 54 of the handle 52. The handle 52 has shoulders 56 at the base of the gripping portion 54 thereof which are adapted to engage with the first divider member 22 at the fold line 27 to limit the extension of the handle portion 54 through the slot 29. The end portions of the marginal edge flap portion 26 of the divider member are adhesively secured in the folded over relationship that is illustrated in FIGURE 4- to retain the handle.

It will be apparent from an examination of FIGURE 4 that the handle generally indicated by the numeral 52 can be slid from the position illustrated in FIGURE 4 wherein the gripping portion thereof is juxtaposed to the divider member 22 to the dotted line position illustrated in FIGURE 4 wherein the gripping portion 54 is extended beyond the first divider member 22, the extension being limited by the shoulders 56.

The handle 52 is also made of corrugated paperboard and it will be noted that the gripping portion 54 is formed with an appropriate opening through which the fingers can be inserted for convenient handling. The opening also has a tab 58 that can be bent over to retain the gripping portion in an extended position on the exterior of the carton.

It will be noted that the depth indicated by the dimension 60 of the handle 52 is slightly smaller than the depth of the divider member 22. The divider member 22 extends for substantially the full depth of the carton and in use is glued along its bottom marginal edge to the bottom securing member 24. The handle slides between the divider panel and the bottom securing panel and its lower travel is determined by the glue line. The handle must have a depth, however, such that one can always easily grip the handle when it is in a retracted posi tion by inserting ones fingers through the top opening 62.

Once the handle section 52 has been assembled with respect to the blank 10, the carton can be formed. To do this, the top wall 12, side wall panel 16, bottom wall panel 20 and securing member 24 are folded so that their cross section is rectangular and secured in this position by means of the tabs 28 and 30 on the longitudinally extending edges of the member 24. Tabs 28 and 30 on the bottom securing member 44 are adhesively secured to the underside of the top wall 12.

The side wall 14, bottom wall panel 18, divider panel 22 and top wall 12, are also folded to assume a rectangular disposition with respect to each other in cross section as illustrated in FIGURE 3. It will be noted that the upper edge of the divider panel 22 is slightly below the upper edge of the bottom securing panel 24.

In this position, the upper edge of the divider panel 22 underlies the longitudinally extending slot 62 in the top wall 12 of the carton. Slot 62 has a length slightly larger than the length of the handle portion 54 of the handle 52 and has an enlarged portion in the centre through which one can insert ones fingers to grip the upper portion of the handle 58 and pull it through the slot 62 to assume an operative position as illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3. In this position, the shoulders 56 are engaging in the fold line of the folded over marginal portion 26 of the divider panel 22. The tab 58 can be bent laterally to prevent unwanted disappearance of the handle into the slot again.

As indicated above the divider panel 22 and the bottom securing panel 24 are adhesively secured together along their lower marginal edge portions to maintain the securing panel rigid with respect to the divider panel 22 and hence with respect to the bottom panel 18. Securing panel 24 is formed with an extension above the adhesively secured portion which has tabs 28 and 30 thereon for locating the component parts in their relative proper positions.

The unit is capable of considerable variation especially in this particular area. Locating tabs 28 and 30, for example, could be formed on upward extensions of the extreme end portions Olf the divider panel in which case it would not be necessary to carry the securing panel 24 substantially beyond its area of adhesive attachment with divider panel 22 near its bottom.

The end walls are formed by folding over first the flaps 36 and 32 and 40 and then flaps 34 and 38 for one end wall. The container is adapted to be filled through an end wall and, in use, is filled before the end wall flaps at the other end are closed. The end flaps are maintained in a closed position by application of an adhesive to the overlapping parts thereof.

The container, when assembled and filled, has remarkable strength. It is economical from the point of view of materials used and operations in its manufacture and it is simple to assembled.

Once filled and sealed, the contents are removed by breaking an opening delineated .by the weakened perforated line 63. A thumb hole is formed at the perforated line as at 64 to start the opening. The adhesive securement at the tabs 28 and 30, very useful in the assembly of the carton, is broken as the opening is made. The opening has been indicated in the top wall but openings could be made in side walls for the same purpose.

It is not intended that the invention should be limited to the foregoing specific embodiment illustrated.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A paperboard container comprising a top wall, side walls, bottom wall and end walls, said bottom wall comprising a first bottom panel hinged to one side wall and a second bottom panel hinged to the other side wall, said first bottom panel and said second bottom panel having a combined width equal to the width of said top panel, a divider freely hinged to said first bottom panel, a securing panel freely hinged to said second bottom panel, said securing panel being adhesively secured to one of said other panels, means including said adhesive securement of said securing panel for maintaining and securing said second bottom panel with respect to said first bottom panel, a handle having a gripping portion connected to said divider panel, said handle being movable with respect to said divider panel from an inoperative to an operative position wherein the gripping portion of said handle can be manually grasped to lift the container, means for maintaining said walls and divider in an operative position, one of said walls being a closure means for closing said container after it has been filled with contents.

2. A container comprising a top wall, a first side wall hinged to said top wall, a second side wall hinged to said top wall, a bottom wall, end walls formed from cooperating flaps hinged to said aforementioned walls, said bottom wall comprising a first bottom panel hinged to said first side wall and a second bottom panel hinged to said second side wall, a divider hinged to said first bottom panel, a securing panel carried by said second bottom panel for rigid securement with respect to said first bottom panel, means for maintaining said securing panel rigid with respect to said first bottom panel, a handle having a gripping portion carried by said divider panel, said handle being slidable with respect to said divider panel from a retracted position within said container to an extended position wherein the gripping portion thereof is exterior of the container, said top wall being formed with an opening to permit said handle to extend to said extended position, means for maintaining said walls and divider in operative position, at least one of said end Walls being a closure means for closing said container after it has been filled with contents, said means for maintaining said walls and divider in operative position including tab means carried by the group of members including said divider member and said securing panel, said tab means being adhesively secured to the underside of said top wall.

3. A paperboard container comprising a top wall, side Walls, bottom wall and end walls, said bottom wall comprising a first bottom panel hinged to one side wall and a second bottom panel hinged to the other side wall, said first bottom panel and said second bottom panel having a combined width equal to the Width of said top panel, a divider freely hinged to said first bottom panel, a ecuring panel freely hinged to said second bottom panel, said securing panel being adhesively secured to one of said other panels, means including said adhesive securement of said securing panel for maintaining and securing said second bottom panel with respect to said first bottom panel, a handle having-a gripping portion connected to said divider panel, said handle being movable with respect to said divider panel from an inoperative to an operative position wherein the gripping portion of said handle can be manually grasped to lift the container, means for maintaining said Walls and divider in an operative position, one of said Walls being a closure means for closing said container after it has been filled with contents, said means for maintaining said walls and divider in operative position including tab means carried by the group of members including said divider panel and said securing panel, said .tab means being adhesively secured to the underside of said top wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,502,384 3/1950 Loth 22939 2,605,041 7/1952 Welshenbach 22952 2,606,711 8/1952 Forrer.

2,609,137 9/1952 Toensmeier 22952 2,823,845 2/ 8' Wasyauka 22952 X 2,984,402 5/1961 Putnam 22952 3,145,902 8/1964 Nolen 22927 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

J. F. McNULTY, D. T. MOORHEAD,

Assistant Examiners. 

1. A PAPERBOARD CONTAINER COMPRISING A TOP WALL, SIDE WALLS, BOTTOM WALL AND END WALLS, SAID BOTTOM WALL COMPRISING A FIRST BOTTOM PANEL HINGED TO ONE SIDE WALL AND A SECOND BOTTOM PANEL HINGED TO THE OTHER SIDE WALL, SAID FIRST BOTTOM PANEL AND SAID SECOND BOTTOM PANEL HAVING A COMBINED WIDTH EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF SAID TOP PANEL, A DIVIDER FREELY HINGED TO SAID FIRST BOTTOM PANEL, A SECURING PANEL FREELY HINGED TO SAID SECOND BOTTOM PANEL, SAID SECURING PANEL BEING ADHESIVELY SECURED TO ONE OF SAID OTHER PANELS, MEANS INCLUDING SAID ADHESIVE SECUREMENT OF SAID SECURING PANEL FOR MAINTAINING AND SECURING SAID SECOND BOTTOM PANEL WITH RESPECT TO SAID FIRST BOTTOM PANEL, A HANDLE HAVING A GRIPPING PORTION CONNECTED TO SAID DIVIDER PANEL, SAID HANDLE BEING MOVABLE WITH RE- 